Advocacy and Complaints Services
Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham cannot investigate specific complaints. We look for trends or issues from what you have told us about your experinces.
However, there are organisations in place that are able to offer you services if and when you need to make a complaint or need to use a advocacy service.
Barking and Dagenham NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service for Barking and Dagenham is delivered by POhWER. The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service is a free and independent service that can help you make a complaint about a National Health Service (NHS).
POhWER has a dedicated website that has information to support and help you make a complaint by yourself.
If you need support to make a complaint, then POhWER advocates will be able to work with you to make sure you understand your options and help you to achieve the outcome you are seeking.
Telephone: 0300 456 2370 (charged at your standard network rate)
Minicom: 0300 456 2364
Text: send the word ’pohwer’ with your name and number to 81025
Email: pohwer@pohwer.net
Skype: pohwer.advocacy
Fax: 0300 456 2365
Post: PO Box 17943, Birmingham, B9 9PB
Cambridge House Advocacy Services
Cambridge House offers several advocacy services in Barking and Dagenham.
- Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA): People who have a mental illness, dementia, or an injury to the brain can be declared by a medical professional as lacking the capacity to make their own decisions. IMCAs ensure that their rights are upheld and that any decision made is in the person’s best interests.
- Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA): People may be detained or sectioned in hospital under the Mental Health Act or have their liberty restricted by Community Treatment Orders. IMHAs help them to understand their rights and communicate their wishes.
- Care and Support Advocacy (Care Act): Under the Care Act (2014), local authorities must ensure that a person is fully involved when their social care and support needs are being reviewed. Certain people are entitled to an independent advocate to help them to be as involved as possible.
- Relevant Person’s Representative Advocacy (RPR): A Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS) is designed to protect people who are being deprived of their liberty in a hospital or care home. People in this situation have access to a Relevant Person’s Representative to uphold their best interests.
Telephone: 020 7358 7007 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday)
Email: chadvocacy@ch1889.org
Lifeline House
25 Neville Road
Dagenham, Essex RM8 3QS
